This invention relates to a device for holding or storing snelled hooks.
The storage of snelled hooks in a tackle box is a constant problem for the fisherman. The leaders become entangled with the other tackle, and disentangling the hooks when needed is an irritating problem. Moreover, since the leaders are apt to come in contact with a myriad of sharp objects during storage there is the constant threat that the leader will be frayed or damaged increasing the chances that it will break in use. Several devices have been designed to alleviate this problem. See, for example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,658,300; 3,172,228; 204,232; 1,957,352; 2,804,717; 742,040; 2,574,908; 2,190,647; 2,080,794; 3,713,244 and 2,659,997. In U.S. Pat. No. 2,658,300, the hook overhangs the edge of a pocket and the leader is attached by means of a terminal loop to a S-shaped hook extending from a coil spring. While this device adequately stores the snelled hook, it requires one spring for each snelled hook. U.S. Pat. No. 2,041,232 discloses a similar device. Requiring one spring for each snelled hook makes the device unnecessarily bulky whereas an object of such a device should be to conserve the limited space available in a tackle box.
The present invention accomplishes this goal by a simple, convenient, inexpensive device as will be apparent hereinafter. Basically, the device of the present invention uitlizes a single spring to accomodate a pluarality of snelled hooks by inserting the leader between adjacent coils of a coiled spring. The coil spring is maintained in spaced relationship to the hook holder by a single wire which is bent to hold both the hook holder and the coil spring, the latter in a transverse configuration to the hook holder so that the space between adjacent coils is presented to the leader for insertion between adjacent coils.